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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26916817">Frankness and Forgiveness</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irhaboggles/pseuds/Irhaboggles'>Irhaboggles</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Wicked - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cute, F/F, Fluffy, Forgiveness, Friendship, Gelphie, Love, One Shot, Oz - Freeform, Shiz, Short, Sweet, book!verse, charmed circle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:00:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,118</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26916817</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irhaboggles/pseuds/Irhaboggles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After spending her whole life thinking she was unforgivable, Elphaba was thrown for quite the loop when Glinda forgave her. But even more amazingly was how casual Glinda was about the forgiveness. Never had Elphaba seen forgiveness treated so casually. It seemed as if there was more to Glinda than met the eye...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Elphaba Thropp/Galinda Upland</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>🌈Love is love is love is</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Frankness and Forgiveness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
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      <p>"Oh, Glin! I am so, so sorry! I truly, <em>truly</em> didn't mean to-" Elphaba began, wringing her hands guiltily.</p>
      <p>"Oh Elphie, it's fine, no need to get so worked up over something so trivial," Glinda waved a dismissive hand.</p>
      <p>"But I know that it's something you've worked and waited for your whole life long," Elphaba insisted, still looking terribly ashamed of herself.</p>
      <p>"Meh, just gotta learn to let it go," Glinda shrugged.</p>
      <p>For a moment, only silence reigned between them and all Elphaba could do was give Glinda the most puzzled look Glinda had ever seen on the green girl's face. Elphaba spent most of her life in her head, thinking and pondering and musing and wondering, but this was the first time Glinda could recall where she actually, genuinely looked <em>flummoxed</em>.</p>
      <p>"What?" Glinda asked after several seconds, becoming a little unnerved by Elphaba's shamelessly confused expression.</p>
      <p>"How?" Elphaba asked back. "How do you do it?"</p>
      <p>"Do what?" now it was Glinda's turn to tilt her head.</p>
      <p>"Just… everything!" Elphaba gestured to Glinda, at a loss for words. Now <em>that </em>was a rarity. Elphaba was a woman of <em>very</em> few words, but she'd still seldom been stumped like this, so stupefied that she couldn't even speak.</p>
      <p>"You're going to need to be more specific than that, Elphie," Glinda tried to tease, in hopes that it would snap Elphaba out of whatever it was she was currently stuck in. It sort of worked.</p>
      <p>"It's just… every time I think I have you figured out, you always manage to throw me for a loop!" Elphaba cried. "How are you able to be so petty yet so forgiving? So tightly wound and yet so able to let things go?"</p>
      <p>"Are those supposed to be compliments?" Glinda asked suspiciously. "Besides, if anyone is tightly wound, it's <em>you</em>!" she added. "You may act tough and distant and moody, but I know how stubborn and passionate you are. And you care about people and their opinions a lot more than you let on!"</p>
      <p>"Glinda! I'm serious!" Elphaba huffed, an unusually childish thing for her to do, but that was because she could not deny that Glinda had a point…</p>
      <p>"So am I!" Glinda insisted. "I honestly have no idea what you're going on about!"</p>
      <p>"I just want to know how you're able to forgive me so easily!" Elphaba finally cried out in frustration.</p>
      <p>"Forgive you?" Glinda was just getting more and more confused with every word out of Elphaba's mouth.</p>
      <p>"You've wanted to get into the sorcery seminar for years and years, and yet Morrible wound up choosing me without even considering you even though I hadn't planned on studying magic at all. How can you be so relaxed about that? I <em>stole</em> your dream!"</p>
      <p>"Well, you don't have to rub it in," Glinda gave Elphaba a rueful grin, but when Elphaba's only response was to look ashamed of herself again, Glinda's face softened and she amended her words.</p>
      <p>"I won't lie that, yes, at first, I was beyond furious at you, but I've come to learn that that type of anger is wasted time, effort, energy and emotion," she began. "I never look back, darling, so in order to focus on the things that made me happy, I had to forgive you for what happened. Besides, I know it was an accident anyway," she concluded with another casual, unruffled shrug. "And I know you and I used to be rivals, and some of that rivalry did indeed start because I was bitter about the seminar, but most of it was just because I just didn't like you."</p>
      <p>In classic Glinda style, the young woman managed to finish an otherwise insightful speech with an unintentional barb against Elphaba.</p>
      <p>"Gee, thanks, Glinda," Elphaba deadpanned, coming slightly back to herself in response to Glinda's offhanded insult.</p>
      <p>"Well it's true!" Glinda insisted. "You don't exactly have the best personality…"</p>
      <p>"Hmph, I suppose not," Elphaba admitted, crossing her arms grouchily. Even though she would be the first to admit she was no social butterfly or ray of sunshine, she always got irked when anyone else was to say as much.</p>
      <p>"But what I'm saying is, even though I was mad, of course I was going to forgive you eventually. I always knew I would," Glinda continued in the same matter-of-fact tone as before. "Even if I didn't know when or how, I knew this wasn't something I was going to stay mad about forever. Not when I had much more important things to look after… Namely, me, myself and I!"</p>
      <p>And there it was again, words of wisdom… followed by typical Glinda. But this time, the iconic Glinda one-liner wasn't enough to offset the strange interest Elphaba had in the more emotional first thing Glinda had said.</p>
      <p>"You knew you'd forgive me?" she asked.</p>
      <p>"Well, yeah," Glinda replied, as if it should've been obvious. "I wasn't gonna stay mad forever. No one does, or can."</p>
      <p>"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Elphaba cast her eyes downward and muttered angrily, think about her father and all that he'd managed to blame her for for as long as she'd even been alive. This was the real reason why she was so stunned at Glinda forgiving her. It wasn't just that Glinda could be catty and petty, it was that Elphaba was so unused to being forgiven!</p>
      <p>Glinda seemed to understand at once what Elphaba's sudden bitterness meant and her face softened again.</p>
      <p>"I know you came from a family notorious for holding grudges, but I promise not everyone is like that," she soothed. "For example, I'm not. Like I said before, even though I was mad at first, I think I always knew I'd move past it eventually, because a life of resentment is not one I want to lead. I believe in frankness and directness. I don't have time to beat around the bush!" the blond insisted proudly, and once again, Elphaba could only shake her head in wonder and puzzlement.</p>
      <p>Glinda really was incredibly catty and petty, her history with her little posse of mean girls was testament to that. And yet, somehow, it was also true that she was very direct and blunt. When push came to shove, Glinda pulled no punches. Sometimes, she was just as frank as Elphaba, and Elphaba was another woman who did not mince words or beat around the bush. Instead, she spoke her mind relentlessly. Like Glinda. But today, she was at a loss for words, once again unable to comprehend her blissful blond roommate. This airheaded aristocrat who seemed so shallow, simple and superficial had once again swept Elphaba off her feet, and all without even trying.</p>
      <p>It wasn't like Glinda had forgiven Elphaba because she was trying to impress or make amends with the green girl. She'd forgive Elphaba because that's just how she was. And in some way, that almost made her all the more attractive to Elphaba. But it still did seem so contradictory to Glinda's character. The same girl who was able to bully Elphaba for multiple months on end without letting up in the slightest was the same girl who, without a second thought, forgave her for accidentally stealing her thunder. And as petty as Glinda could be, she honestly was not wrong about being very forward (as made obvious by some of the… less appropriate things she had a tendency of saying without even thinking).</p>
      <p>But for once, this bluntness became Glinda's most attractive quality and the green girl could only stare in newfound admiration and appreciation. Perhaps this was why they got along so well. Even though Elphaba was very blunt and aloof, a tiny part of her was still too caught up in the social game of life. But with someone like Glinda, who could be so mercilessly blunt, honest and straightforward, that was like a breath of fresh air and a solid rock for Elphaba to stand on. And Elphaba began to realize it wasn't just Glinda forgiving her that felt so strange, it was also how matter-of-factly Glinda was. The frankness and forgiveness was a combination powerful and strange, but maybe it was just what she needed.</p>
      <p>Elphaba was such a deep thinker all the time that, sometimes, to hear the perspective of someone less deep could be quite jarring for her. Maybe part of what made Glinda so attractive to her was that Glinda <em>wasn't </em>deep. That wasn't to call her dumb, she just wasn't a thinker. But maybe Elphaba needed someone like that in her life so that she wouldn't get so lost in her own head that she'd drown in the deep thoughts. Sometimes the best answers were the simplest ones and not everything needed a deep, philosophical reason behind it. Glinda kept Elphaba grounded when her thoughts tried to carry her off. Glinda kept Elphaba's head above the water when that water threatened to consume her.</p>
      <p>Despite being incredibly blunt and brutally honest herself, almost with no filters, sometimes what Elphaba really needed was someone like Glinda, someone who would gladly give it to her straight with no frills or pleasantries on the side. But it wasn't even just Glinda trying to act like a tough life-coach. It was just in her personality to be very straightforward. She knew what she wanted in life, so she'd get it. It was honestly rather admirable. And it did make things easier on Elphaba, even if the initial remarks could be a bit sharp. But it beat all of the tongue-tied twisters other people would engage in. Elphaba honestly found herself preferring Glinda's frank and simplistic ways over anything else the world had to offer.</p>
      <p>"But how does one forgive if they, themselves, have never been forgiven?" Elphaba asked.</p>
      <p>"You don't need to have forgiveness in order to give it," Glinda replied calmly. "You just… do it. Decide that something isn't worth your time, and that it's better to leave the question unanswered, just because trying to answer it will drive you mad."</p>
      <p>"But how can you just let go like that?!" the very idea made Elphaba feel very agitated.</p>
      <p>"I honestly don't know," Glinda replied. "I'm not sure why I find it so easy to let go of things while you remain so tightly wound, but I'm sure you'll find a way somehow. You're very smart and very stubborn."</p>
      <p>"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Elphaba asked, giving a weak laugh as she referred to an earlier part of their talk.</p>
      <p>"Maybe," Glinda laughed back gently. "But first and foremost, it's the truth. Besides, haven't you ever heard that old saying? You can't love anyone else until you love yourself? Well, I know for a <em>fact</em> that isn't true because I honestly don't always love myself, and I know you don't love <em>yourself</em>-"</p>
      <p>"Ouch," Elphaba deadpanned.</p>
      <p>"But I know I love you, and you love me, and your sister, and the rest of our Charmed Circle," Glinda continued. "So I believe that you can forgive without being forgiven. Besides, this entire world needs forgiveness, so as far as I'm concerned, there is no moral high ground. No one can look at someone else and withhold forgiveness because everyone needs it somewhere in their life. That makes us all equal in a way, I guess…"</p>
      <p>But Glinda began to look uncertain as she continued to talk. They were treading into territory that was not her forte. She suddenly looked shy and fell silent, uncomfortable with continuing the current conversation but not quite sure how to end it. Usually, Elphaba would take up the reigns and take over, but she was still so lost in thought over Glinda that she, too, remained silent. As weird, wild and wonderful as Glinda was, there was a deeper side of her that Elphaba found irresistible. Maybe Glinda wasn't quite comfortable with that side of herself, but Elphaba was.</p>
      <p>What an idea! Being able to forgive without being forgiven! For a girl who'd been raised under a very strict religion with a very strict hierarchy, such a way of life seemed impossible! But here Glinda was, frank and blunt and simple as ever, barreling straight on through with personal anecdotes about how it was indeed possible to forgive others without having first received forgiveness yourself. It seemed that the green girl still had a lot left to learn from her surprisingly sharp roommate and, not for the first time did Elphaba feel lucky to have her as a friend. Or maybe more… Because what was it that Glinda had said only half a minute ago?</p>
      <p>"<em>But I know I love you, and you love me</em>…" Hmmm, maybe even sharper than she thought…</p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>AN: Anyone who read the books knows Elphaba really struggles with forgiveness and that's likely due to how she was raised. I think a lot of those issues could've been alleviated had this sort of thing happened where Glinda essentially taught Elphaba how to forgive and let go. We may joke that Elphaba is Glinda's impulse control, but I argue that the opposite is equally true.</p><p>(Flashback to when Glinda calls Elphaba out for wanting to attack Dorothy over a pair of shoes. No matter the sentimental value, Glinda had a point that they were, at the end of the day, just shoes, and possessing them wasn't going to actually give Elphaba what she really wanted. And we all remember that this wasn't something Elphaba WANTED to hear, but it was probably good that at least Glinda was ready to call her out on it).</p><p>So as comical as Glinda's brutal honesty can be, she does occasionally have a point.</p><p>This was also inspired off one of my best friends whom I've come to realize that I love because she, like Glinda, is a perfect balance of blunt and simple, and it helps my anxious and thought-heavy mind stay grounded when I start getting a bit too… out there.</p><p>She is a nice change of pace compared to the usual silly social games most people play with one another. She's just too straightforward to play games with me and I REALLY appreciate it.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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